ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s designated ambassador to Pakistan, Major General (retd) Dr Rajeh bin Tami Al-Buqami, arrived in Islamabad on Saturday morning, diplomatic sources said.


According to the sources, Al-Buqami was received at Islamabad airport by Khushan Saeed, Assistant Director (Protocol) at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saudi Chargé d’Affaires Naif bin Hamoud bin Malafekh and other officials of the Saudi Embassy were also present to welcome the incoming ambassador.


The designated Saudi envoy is expected to assume charge of his office on Monday, the sources said.


Dr Al-Buqami is a senior Saudi diplomat who has previously served as a Major General in the Saudi Armed Forces. His professional background includes extensive experience in defence and security affairs, making him one of the Saudi ambassadors with a strong military and strategic background, according to diplomatic sources.


His appointment comes at a time when Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations are expanding across multiple areas, with defence and security cooperation remaining a key component of the bilateral partnership.


The incoming ambassador’s extensive defence experience is expected to provide an added diplomatic dimension to the existing security cooperation between the two countries, the sources said.


His appointment assumes particular significance in the context of the Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Defence Agreement signed in 2025 and the joint defence agreement associated with the Makkah arrangements, the sources added.


The new envoy’s arrival marks the beginning of his diplomatic assignment in Pakistan, where he will represent Saudi Arabia at a time of increasingly close strategic engagement between Islamabad and Riyadh.